Disposable toilet seat cover



y 2, 1967 J. B. MONTALDO 3,316,560

DISPOSABLE TOILET SEAT COVER Filed Dec. 2, 1965 INVENTOR JEANNE B- MONTALDO ATTOR NEYS United States Patent M 3,316,560 DISPOSABLE TOILET SEAT COVER Jeanne B. Montaldo, Glendale, Mo. (72 Aberdeen Place, St. Louis, Mo. 63105) Filed Dec. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 327,322 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-242) This invention relates to a toilet seat cover that is particularly intended for childrens use. The invention more particularly concerns a cover that can be quickly and easily installed over a toilet seat to make the toilet seat smaller and more comfortable for children and assure complete sanitation. In addition, the cover is very flexible and is foldable into such a compact package that it can be folded and carried in a womans purse or a mans vest pocket.

In general, the cover comprises a pair of flexible plastic sheets sealed together at their forward and side edges, thereby providing a pocket between the plastic sheets that is open at the back. There are aligned oval holes through the centers of the sheets. Thecover fits over a toilet seat with the top and bottom plastic sheet above and below the toilet seat, the toilet seat being received within the pocket. A pair of tabs, disposed on opposite sides of the hinge connecting the toilet seat to the toilet bowl, have snaps for fastening together the backs of the upper and lower plastic sheets. This general construction of the toilet seat cover is so inexpensive that the cover can be thrown away after use.

The general object of this invention is to provide a flexible, foldable, disposable toilet seat cover. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a toilet seat cover that can be folded into such a compact package that it can be carried in a Womans purse or a mans vest or other pocket.

This toilet seat cover is particularly suitable for meeting the needs of children. especially during travels and the frequent rest stops that have to be made for children. The cover is foldable into such a compact package that one or several of them can be carried inconspicuously. The plastic material is so lightweight it can be folded approximately the size of a mans handkerchief, ye-t strong enough to support the weight of the child. When a child has to be taken to a rest room, perhaps interrupting a meal in a public restaurant, neither the parent nor the child is embarrassed by the visual public announcement of the conventional bulky and/or rigid toilet seat covers or chairs.

Since the cover is made of flexible and somewhat conforming plastic, it is much more comfortable to the child than is a strange toilet seat, and it therefore reduces and even eliminates the tensions that so often make these childrens trips so time consuming or unsuccessful.

In view of the foregoing, it is another object of the invention to provide a toilet seat cover that makes the use of strange toilet seats completely sanitary for children, that is comfortable and relaxing to children, and that does not embarrass them or their parents. Thus an object of the invention is to provide a toilet seat cover that preserves the dignity of both child and parent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible and foldable toilet seat cover that can be wrapped into such a compact package that it can be readily dispensed from a coin-operated dispenser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible toilet seat cover that is adjustable to accommodate the different sizes of toilet seats while maintaining sufficien-t tension to provide adequate support.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a toilet seat cover that is easy and simple to put on a toilet seat and that can be installed without hand contact with the 3,316,569 Patented May 2, 1967 Once in place the cover completely covers the so that all the child touches is the sanitary toilet seat. toilet seat cover.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the toilet seat cover as installed on a typical toilet seat, viewed generally from the top and side of the cover and toilet;

FIGURE 2 is a view in section taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the toilet seat cover with a portion of the upper sheet thereof broken away; and

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the toilet seat cover in a folded condition.

Referring now to the drawing, the toilet seat cover 10 has upper and lower plastic sheets 11 and 12. The plastic sheets 11 and 12 may be made from any commercially available flexible, pliable, foldable, and substantially inelastic plastic, such as vinyl, polyethylene, etc., and are only a few thousandths inch thick. The plastic sheets 11 and 12 are generally oval in shape along their front edge 13 and side edges 14 and 15, with generally straight back edges 16, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. The plastic sheets 11 and 12 are sealed together along their front and side edges 13, 14 and 15 by heat sealing or by any suitable plastic adhesive. Whatever the sealing means, it extends across the front edges 13 and rearwardly across the side edges 14 and 15, terminating at points on the sides 14 and 15 a little more than halfway from the front 13 to the back 16. This allows the upper and lower plastic sheets 11 and 12 to be spread apart rearward of the sealed edges.

The upper plastic sheet 11 has general y rearwardly extending flaps 18 on opposite sides of the straight back edge 16. Right below these flaps 18 there are similar flaps 19 on the lower plastic sheet 12. There are two snap fastener elements 20 and 21 in each upper flap 18, and two mating snap fastener elements 22 and 23 in each lower flap 19. The plurality of snap fastener elements permits adjustment of the cover 10 for different lengths of toilet seats. Other fasteners may be used.

Finally, the upper and lower plastic sheets 11 and 12 have superposed oval holes 24 and 25 through them. The holes 24 and 25 are approximately six inches in length and three inches in width.

FIGURES 1 and 2 show the toilet seat cover installed on a toilet seat 26 that has a rear hinge 27 by which it is hinged to a toilet bowl 28. The holes 24 and 25 are spaced well within the hole through the toilet seat 26. It is also clear from FIGURES 1 and 2 that the upper plastic sheet 11 completely covers all surfaces of the toilet seat 26 so that all contact is made with the upper sheet 11 and not with the toilet seat 26. FIGURE 2 also indicates how the central portion of the upper sheet 11 will yield downwardly somewhat under the weight of a child while still firmly supporting the child, inasmuch as the plastic from which the cover 10 is made is inelastic.

It is easy to install this cover 10 on the toilet seat 26 without having the hands touch the toilet seat. Installation is started by guiding the back edge 16 of the upper sheet over the top of the front of the toilet seat 26 and the back edge 16 of the lower sheet 12 under the front of the toilet seat, and then sliding the cover 10 rearwardly. This starting of the installation may be done by holding the flaps 18 and 19 until the cover is partly on the toilet seat. The toilet seat can be raised by pushing against the lower plastic sheet 12 that is in contact with the toilet seat. It is somewhat easier to slide the cover 10 all the way back on the toilet seat if the toilet seat is partly raised. When the front of the toilet seat 26 stops against the sealed front edges 13 of the cover 10, the snap fasteners that will make the cover tightest are snapped together (the snap fasteners and 22 in the illustration of FIGURE 1). Then the cover 10 is ready for use. The entire installation can be done in a few seconds.

After use, the cover 10 may be folded into the compact package illustrated in FIGURE 4 or, because of its inexpensive construction, it may be thrown away.

Since the cover 10 can be folded into the compact package generally illustrated in FIGURE 4, having a thickness of less than one-half inch and a width and length of less than 2 /2 and 4 inches, several of the folded packages may be stacked in a coin-operated dispenser and made readily available to people who find themselves particularly in need of them. Quite obviously, such a compact package is conveniently and inconspicuously storable until used.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the purview of this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A toilet seat cover for supporting small children and the like, said toilet seat cover comprising a pair of flexible plastic sheets having flat surfaces and each being provided with a forward margin, a rear margin and opposed side margins, means to join the forward and side margins of the sheets together to define a pocket therebetween of a size suitable to receive a toilet seat, cooperating fastening elements operatively associated with the rearward margin of each of said sheets to releasably fasten the rear margin of said sheets together, said fastening elements having longitudinally spaced snap fasteners for adapting the cover to different length toilet seats, and means defining superposed holes through the centers of the upper and lower sheets, said superposed holes being substantially smaller than the hole formed by said toilet seat and being sized so that the buttocks of a small child can be supported on a portion of the flat surface immediately surrounding the superposed holes, said sheets being sufliciently thick to support the weight of a small child seated thereon.

2. The toilet seat cover of claim 1 wherein said sheets are sufliciently flexible to be folded a plurality of times into a small compact unit.

3. A toilet sea-t cover for supporting small children and the like, said toilet seat cover comprising a pair of substantially inelastic, somewhat flexible plastic sheets having flat surfaces and each being provided with a forward margin, a rear margin and opposed side margins, said sheets being sufficiently flexible to be folded a plurality of times into a small compact unit, the forward and side margins of the sheets being joined together to define a pocket therebetween of a size suitable to receive a toilet seat, and means defining superposed holes through the centers of the upper and lower sheets, said superposed holes being substantially smaller than the hole formed by said toi'et seat and being sized so that the buttocks of a small child can be supported on a portion of the flat surface immediately surrounding the superposed holes, said sheets' being sufficiently thick to support the weight of a small child seated thereon, said sheets also being sufficiently pliable so that the flat surface of the uppermost sheet surrounding the superposed holes will yield downwardly somewhat under the weight of a child and substantially conform to the shape of the buttocks of a child supported thereon, said flat surface surrounding the superposed holes in said uppermost sheet being resiliently depressed and urged slightly downwardly in the hole formed by said toilet seat so that a portion of said flat surface is disposed in a plane below the plane of the portion of said uppermost sheet supported by said toilet seat, said sheets being sufficiently resilient so that the depressed portion of the uppermost sheet will shift back substantially to its original position when the weight of the child is removed therefrom.

4. The toilet seat cover of claim 3 wherein the holes are oval.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,358,222 11/ 1920 Levy 4-242 2,093,168 9/1937 Hamer 4-243 2,200,394 5/ 1940 Leslie 4-243 2,260,404 10/ 1941 Richardi 4-243 2,611,136 9/1952 Diamond 4-242 2,858,549 11/1958 Carson 4-242 2,888,686 6/1959 Schrader 4-239 FOREIGN PATENTS 639,151 4/ 1962 Canada. 430,244 8/1911 France.

LAVERNE, D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. J. GROSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TOILET SEAT COVER FOR SUPPORTING SMALL CHILDREN AND THE LIKE, SAID TOILET SEAT COVER COMPRISING A PAIR OF FLEXIBLE PLASTIC SHEETS HAVING FLAT SURFACES AND EACH BEING PROVIDED WITH A FORWARD MARGIN, A REAR MARGIN AND OPPOSED SIDE MARGINS, MEANS TO JOIN THE FORWARD AND SIDE MARGINS OF THE SHEETS TOGETHER TO DEFINE A POCKET THEREBETWEEN OF A SIZE SUITABLE TO RECEIVE A TOILET SEAT, COOPERATING FASTENING ELEMENTS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE REARWARD MARGIN OF EACH OF SAID SHEETS TO RELEASABLY FASTEN THE REAR MARGIN OF SAID SHEETS TOGETHER, SAID FASTENING ELEMENTS HAVING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SNAP FASTENERS FOR ADAPTING THE COVER TO DIFFERENT LENGTH TOILET SEATS, AND MEANS DEFINING SUPERPOSED HOLES THROUGH THE CENTERS OF THE UPPER AND LOWER SHEETS, SAID SUPERPOSED HOLES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 